Purpose




Thoughts of a messed up Christian saved by God's grace





Monday, September 24, 2012

Being Like Jesus: Being Merciful, a guest post

This is the first in a series of guest posts on my blog about being like Jesus, focusing on some of His traits. First up, is being merciful, written by my great friend, Rachel Yoder Shetterly:

Your mercies are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness, O God. – David

When I hear this verse read I am immediately picturing a sunrise of glorious proportions. The soft colors of pink, yellow, orange, and purple are simply splashed across the sky heralding the beginning of another day. With these colors comes a promise from our ABBA, our Daddy, Father that this day comes with a clean slate, a new beginning.

Even at the ripe age of 41, I’m not sure I ‘get this’ in its fullest measure.

Recently my husband, Steve, and I had the privilege of attending a Love Won Out conference with a friend who struggles with same sex attraction. God has been bringing men into our lives who are struggling with this temptation, and we were more than ready to listen to and learn more about homosexuality. I was not prepared for the depth of truth and mercy I heard about that day.

You see, the truth is we all struggle with something. The sin of gossip, lying, adultery, or whatever other sin you think of is not worse than the sin of homosexuality. Stop right here and know I am not referring to the person who is homosexual, but the act of homosexuality. This is not something these individuals are born with or choose to become. The doctor doesn’t know when a baby is born if it’s going to be a homosexual or a heterosexual. We are born male and female.

I used to think homosexuals were pedophiles, sex addicts, among other things, and for sure damned to hell. I no longer believe this lie. Homosexuals are normal people: doctors, lawyers, nurses, secretaries, teachers, administrators, who, for whatever life situation, are more attracted to the same sex than the opposite sex.

By now you’re wondering what on earth the mercies of God being new every morning have to do with this topic, right?! The truth I learned at that one day conference is this: every morning, we have a new slate. We have a new slate for making right and wrong choices. Whatever our temptation, to have sex with the same sex or have an adulterous affair, we have the power through Jesus Christ to rise above all of that and live a holy life. When we are tempted to gossip, cheat, lie, steal…or whatever your addiction or temptation happens to be…EVERY DAY we are given a new slate, a new opportunity to start fresh!

We have a merciful, loving ABBA Father who “is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) This does not mean we will no longer be tempted to sin. We have the choice, however, to walk away from the temptation and live a life not controlled by our temptations and harmful addictions. We ALL have “stuff” we deal with every day. We all have a choice to make.

Today is a new day! Today is a new sunrise of mercy and faithfulness poured out on us, His beloved creation, to enjoy! Seize it! Live in it!


-Rachel Shetterly

September 24, 2012

1 comment:

  1. So, are you saying it's okay to commit the same sin everyday, then just ask for forgiveness? I don't see it this way. It is my understanding that when we tell GOD we are sorry and ask HIS forgiveness, we are to try to not do it again. That is, if we are truly sorry.

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